Tag Archives: sentido del tacto

The last installment in our “Cat Senses Study” is the one that covers more ground: touch. Our bodies are covered in shiny hair coats that serve as natural warm jackets in the cold weather and as sun deterrents during the summer months. Some humans assume that because we seem to handle the weather perfectly that we’re immune to the dangers of it. That is simply not true. Just because we keep our cool at all times doesn’t mean we don’t get heat stroked or hypothermia in extreme conditions.

To help in these situations, we have specific sensitive spots that react to temperature changes and touch receptors (located mostly in our paw pads and tongue) that acquire information about our surroundings.

The masters of our sense of touch are, without a doubt, the whiskers. These clever hairs are thicker, stronger, go deeper inside our body than any other hair and can move in different directions; this gives them a direct connection to nerves and blood vessels that travel thru our brain, sending instructions like “avoid that chair” or “road ends ahead”.

The whiskers instruct us where to go, how big is the obstacle and tell you how we’re feeling. Pic Wanda de la Vega

How do they do it? The whiskers scientific name is vibrissae, and as the name suggests, they pick up any sudden changes in airflow, any vibration around us, sending that message straight to the brain, showing us the right path to take. You don’t think there are air currents between the chairs and the dining room table? Oh yes there are and we feel them. Whiskers help us keep our graceful strut, gives us confidence to glide around furniture, rooftops and people’s legs.

They allow us to “see” up close. Our big eyes can capture peripheral and long distance vision, but it’s hard to decipher what’s right in front of us. Whiskers send info about the prey’s size and location so we can go for the kill in the dark (take that catnip mouse!). A useful attribute to have as we grow older or turn blind, we may walk slower but we know where we’re going.

Whiskers are also mood indicators:

Relaxed looking down? Sign of a chill cat

Straight back? Kitty’s not happy, ready to pounce

Up front and very straight? In hunting mode

All these characteristics make them a big part of our feline je ne sais quoi factor. Some humans think it’s funny to cut a cat’s whiskers, but let me tell you, losing them disrupts our sense of direction, kitty feels lost, stumbling around trying to find the way to the litterbox or even worse, our way home. Not a fun game at all. Respect the vibrissae.